Having a baby is a precious gift and conceiving should be an easy, natural process. Sadly for many couples it is an extremely distressing experience as they struggle to conceive and/or maintain a pregnancy.
Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive a pregnancy after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. It affects about 1 in 6 Australian couples of reproductive age.
WHAT CAUSES INFERTILITY
The causes of infertility are many and varied, and affect both females and males.
Some of the causes include:
- Hormonal imbalance such as polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, fibroids, ovulation disorders
- Low sperm count/poor sperm production/ abnormally shaped sperm
- Lifestyle factors such as poor diet, excess alcohol or smoking
- Genetic factors, chromosomal abnormalities
- Increase in age for first time parents
- Tubal disease or problems with fallopian tubes
- Pelvic Inflammatory disease
- Thyroid disease
- Genito urinary tract infections
- Auto immune conditions, such as Natural killers, anti sperm antibodies
From an holistic perspective, infertility can be due to issues such as:
- Stress
- Toxicity
- Obesity
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Hormonal imbalances
- Hypothyroidism
- Medications
- Immune system problems
HOW CAN NATURAL MEDICINE HELP WITH IMPROVING FERTILITY?
Are You Too Stressed to Conceive?
Is stress making it difficult for you to conceive? Have you ever noticed that it is often when a couple stops trying to conceive, and they start to relax, that they fall pregnant? The impact of stress on infertility cannot be underestimated, both as a cause and as a consequence of not conceiving, in both partners. Stress impacts the reproductive system on all levels. In fact, stress actually inhibits the reproductive system. Stress can lead to hormonal imbalance that can cause irregular cycles, and many other hormonal conditions. So if you are stressed, this may affect your ability to have a baby.
There are various herbal medicines, nutritional supplements, dietary and lifestyle changes that can be recommended to help the body cope with the impacts of stress.
A Detox Can Help!
Toxicity may also affect your ability to conceive. When your body is too toxic, it can be very difficult to conceive and maintain a pregnancy. A comprehensive integrated detoxification program involving both digestive repair and liver regeneration is an important step in both addressing infertility issues and pre-conception care.
At Melbourne Naturopathy we specialise in detoxification programs that improve liver clearance of hormones and toxins that may impair fertility.
Excess Fat Affects Fertility
Being overweight impairs fertility and is a common cause of miscarriage, gestational diabetes, toxaemia, low birth weight and premature birth. If you are overweight and struggling to conceive, we can help.
At Melbourne Naturopathy, we can help with dietary advice to assist you in losing weight, making better dietary choices and increasing nutrients critical for fertility and a healthy pregnancy.
Healthy Parents Make Healthy Babies
Nutritional deficiencies can also be a contributing factor in infertility. In order for you to give your little baby the best start in life, it is important that both the mother and father are in optimal health. Ensure you both have optimal body stores of vitamins and minerals that will support energy production, healthy metabolism, healthy foetal development and reduce stress. At our clinic, we can recommend nutritional supplements to support both male and female fertility and nutritional status.
Are Your Hormones Out of Balance?
Hormonal imbalances can be a significant factor in infertility. Basically, without the right balance of hormones, it is extremely difficult to conceive.
Fortunately, there are some great combinations of herbs and nutrients that can balance your hormones and improve fertility.
These combinations of herbs and nutrients may balance hormones by :
- Regulating menstrual cycles
- Improving quality and quantity of cervical mucus
- Stimulating ovulation
- Improving egg/ follicular quality
- In males, helping with sperm count, morphology and motility
At Melbourne Naturopathy, we can still help in cases where IVF may be the only option, as couples will feel healthier and the chances for a successful outcome are enhanced through the naturopathic fertility treatments.
If you are experiencing difficulties with fertility, please come in and see us today for information on preconception care and natural support of your reproductive health